While a growing number of countries have banned the sale of single-use plastic products, including drinking straws, and plant-based versions have become popular alternatives, these may not be the most sustainable choice, according to a recent study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Food Additives and Contaminants.
Following the publication of a recent study in the U.S., which revealed that PFAS is also found in straws made from plant-based materials such as paper or bamboo, a team of researchers at the University of Antwerp decided to investigate the situation in the European market.
As first analysis of its kind in Europe, the Belgian scientists tested 39 brands of straws made from five materials—paper, bamboo, glass, stainless steel and plastic—for the presence of the group of synthetic chemicals known as poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances. And they found it in almost all types of straws, except for those made of stainless steel.
Water-repellent and fire-resistant, thermally and chemically stable, PFAS are organic compounds that are produced and used on a large industrial scale for various applications. Yet, although accumulative and potentially toxic to humans and animals, these substances, called "forever chemicals," as they barely break down, have become a ubiquitous pollutant in the environment. They have been associated with a number of health problems, including lower response to vaccines, lower birth weight, thyroid disease, increased cholesterol levels, liver damage, kidney cancer and testicular cancer.
The Belgian research team was not overly surprised at the finding that the stainless steel straw came out clean. They had expected that there would be virtually no PFAS present in straws made of stainless steel or glass. They had hypothesized that straws made of paper were more likely to be contaminated with PFAS than other types of straws, as manufacturers could have intentionally added the substances to make the paper water-repellent. For plastic straws, it was difficult to predict the presence of PFAS due to the variety of plastics and additives used.